News

State denies liability for abuse cases

THE Department of Education is seeking to extricate itself from sexual abuse cases in primary and secondary schools on the grounds that the education minister is not, and never was, responsible for the employment of teachers. If it succeeds then hundreds of claimants face the prospect of financial ruin.

The State Claims Agency (SCA), which manages personal injury and compensation claims taken against the Irish government, has written to more than 170 people who were abused by teachers in schools. It warned them they are suing the “wrong defendant” and will be pursued for the state’s legal costs if their civil claims collapse.

The warnings follow a High Court decision in which Louise O’Keeffe, who suffered sexual abuse as a pupil in a Cork school, lost her case against the Department of Education, leaving her exposed to legal costs of up to €600,000.